Journals and magazines are a thing of the past. At least, this is what a lot of people want us to believe in these times of flat rate internet connections and fancy gadgets like the Kindle or the iPad. And indeed, why shouldn't these forest-consuming dust catchers disappear sooner or later, just as music on individual physical data carriers more or less did since the end of the nineties? On the other hand, while you can still kinda impress your party guests with a tasteful and rad iTunes playlist, have you ever even tried to seduce an intellectually challenging girl or boy by leaving thewire.co.uk open on your laptop screen? Right. Does anyone have interesting blog posts (somehow feels like an oxymoron) lying around on their coffee table (if yes: nerd!)? Exactly. Even more than compact discs or cassette tapes or vinyl, I'd argue, hard copied periodica satisfy our need for physicality in the virtual age. More than any website could ever do, collected letters on paper, be it in books or magazines, reassure us of the things we know, want to know or should know, and thus, essentially of what we believe in.
It is this context that makes a thing like The Report such an important and thrilling effort within the blogosphere's mere virtuality. Founded, curated and created by Chocolate Bobka's magnificent mastermind Michael McGregor, The Report is a bi-annual roundup of relevant artistic developments, musically and visually, of the past months. It uniquely blends different representations of contemporary art into a multimedia package, arriving on paper, DVD and cassette tape. While the latter compiles new music from today's creatively most amazing artists around, and the DVD aspires the same as regards video works, the journal itself is a report in the truest sense, aiming at analyzing and contextualizing recent trends of pop culture. In its own visual approach, the journal actually appears to be the essential complement to the emergence and subsequent surge of backward-looking movements in music as of late, most importantly hypnagogic pop, most striking considering the first edition's collage art section (see on the left) that so much reminds of a lot of hypnagogic pop artists' own way of creating art for their album covers (e.g. most prominently James Ferraro). Moreover, also the articles' layout adopted the aesthetics of late eighties/nineties fanzine culture with its xeroxed look and feel.
This week, McGregor sent out the message that he has finally put the finishing touches on The Report's second installment. Featuring contributions by Oneohtrix Point Never/Games' Daniel Lopatin, Sun Araw's Cameron Stallones, Emilie Friedlander of Visitation Rites, Christelle Gualdi (of Stellar OM Source), and Camilla Padgitt-Coles (of Future Shuttle), among others, The Report V.II promises to be another terrific and enlightening experience, outstanding on every level.
The cassette tape compiles artists such as Ducktails, Velvet Davenport, Laurel Halo, Young Prisms, Big Troubles, and others. Head over here for the full list of contributions, as well as to support the project by making a donation (which will include buying the package). You can also order here.
Below, watch the brilliant video by Christian "Megazord" Oldham for Ke Ala Ke Kua Part 2 by Dolphins Into The Future. Also, listen to two of the compilation's songs, Dent Sweat's I Don't Mind and Surfer Girl by Airbird. Dent Sweat is the new alter ego of Taylor, Mississippi's Dent May, delivering a terrific sweaty R&B dance floor filler, while Airbird's tropical summer jam Surfer Girl - kindly sent over by McGregor and premiering here - indeed is a cover version of this, equally compelling, only involving slightly more synths. The track will also appear on the upcoming Airbird/Megafortress split, available soon via McGregor's very own Curatorial Club.
Airbird - Surfer Girl (Premiere)
Dent Sweat - I Don't Mind
No comments:
Post a Comment